After a fish has been caught on a hook and line it is usually necessary to remove the embedded hook from the tissue of the fish. Most fishhooks however, are embedded inside the fish and are designed to resist removal. In addition, most freshly caught fish are slippery and active and some have sharp teeth, fins or gill plates. Under these circumstances, fishhook removal is often difficult and dangerous. The convenience and safety of the user and the safety of the fish itself, often depend on the proper use of an effective hook extractor.
Numerous tools have been suggested for the removal of hooks from fish. These fishhook extractors share one or more of several disadvantages. In order to engage the embedded hook and effect its removal, these extractors require special skills and/or excessive force. In use, they subject the user to unnecessary risk of injury from the fish and they often subject the fish to unnecessary risk of injury from excessive handling and force. Many of these fishhook extractors have limited versatility with respect to the various types and sizes of hooks for which they can be used effectively, as well as limited versatility with respect to the fish species and fish sizes on which they can be used. They are often formed with features and edges which can tangle, cut or otherwise damage fishing tackle, fish or user They are often complex in form and therefore are expensive to manufacture.